English, John C

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East Texas Historical JournalVolume 3 | Issue 2 Article 910-1965Wesleyan College of San AugustineJohn C. EnglishFollow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ethjPart of the United States History CommonsTell us how this article helped you.This Article is brought to you for free and open access by SFA ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in East Texas Historical Journal by anauthorized administrator of SFA ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact cdsscholarworks@sfasu.edu.Recommended CitationEnglish, John C. (1965) "Wesleyan College of San Augustine," East Texas Historical Journal: Vol. 3: Iss. 2, Article 9.Available at: http://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ethj/vol3/iss2/9East Texas Historical Jou1"1wlWESLEYAN COLLEGE OF SAN AUGUSTINEJOHN C. ENGLISH141.t.-On the grounds of the Elementary School, San Augustine, alongsideHighway 21, the State of Texas has erected a monument marking the siteof Wesleyan College. The curious motorist who stops to read the inscrip_tion finds these words:SITE OFWESLEYAN COLLEGEEstablished in 1842. Incorporated January 16, 1844 bythe Methodist Church. Named for John Wesley (1703-1791), the Founder of Methodism. A Successful Schoolfor a Brief Period .. United With the University of SanAugustine in 1847 To Form the University of East Texas,Which Shortly Expired142 Ea·st TerM Historical Jou'l"MlIn this paper several aspects of this pioneer institution, the third college inTexas to be organized under the auspices of the Methodist· EpilCopalChurch, will be described.1I. FOUNDING OF THE COLLEGEThe man who took the lead in organizing Wesleyan Col1ege was theReverend Daniel Poe, a Methodist minister who had emigrated from Ohioto Texas in 1842.2 A Committee of Direction was established, and plansfor a two story building, occupying an area of forty by eighty feet, weredrawn. James Perkins was appointed as contractor for its construction.3The Masons of San Augustine, organized as McFarland Lodge No.3, laidthe cornerstone of the building in ceremonies held on August 26, 1843.4On this occasion speeches were delivered by' David S. Kaufman, formerSpeaker of the House of the Texas Republic, and Kenneth L. Anderson, arising young lawyer who eventually became Vice President of the Repub-lic.5 The organizers of the College hoped to occupy their new quarters onNovember I, 1843.6 The College did not move into the building untilMarch, 1844, however. Meanwhile, the "premises formerly occupied byCol. Campbell" had been purchased as a residence for the College Prin-cipal and for the use of the College's Female Department.7After plans for the Col1ege had been drawn up and construction of itsmain building had begun, Poe sought the patronage of the Texas AnnualConference of the Church. He described his plans to the session of theConference which met at the Robinson settlement, near Huntsville, onDecember 13, 1843. The Conference voted to take the Col1ege "under itsfoetering care,"s The Reverend Lester Janes was appointed College Prin-cipal by Bishop James O. Andrew.SThereafter, the sponsors of the College approached the Congress of theRepublic of Texas and petitioned for a charter. President Sam Houstonapproved the charter on January 16, 1844.10 A board of thirteen trusteeswas authorized; the first members of the board were named in the charter.(Curiously fourteen names are listed in the document.) The trustees in-cluded such persons as Henry W. Augustine, major in the Cherokee Warand member of the House in the Io'ifth Congress of the Republic; Travis G.Broocks, commander of the militia in the Regular-Moderator War; J.Pinckney Henderson, sometime minister of the Texas Republic to Englandand France; John G. Love, appointed collector of customs at Gaines Ferryon the Old San Antonio Road in 1837; and three Methodist ministers, Lit-tleton Fowler, Frances Wilson, and Daniel Poe."II. FINANCING THE COLLEGEThe founder of the College, Daniel Poe, died in July, 1844, shortly afterthe College moved into its new building.l2 The job of raising funds tosupport the school was given to the Reverend Francis Wilson, who wasappointed Financial Agent of the College. Wilson had emigrated fromOhio to Texas in 1839.18 In 1840 he had become the first Methodist min_ister to be stationed regularly in Nacogdoches. He had moved to SanAugustine in 1841.14..EUl>t Texas Hil>toricul JUilnal 143Wilson travelled tarflughout East Texas, seeking donations for theCollege. In his first reT/ort to the Board of TlUstc:es after having been:lppointed Financial Agent, he outlined the itinerary which he had fol·t lowed. From San Augustine Wilson travelled south to Jefferson County,over to Liberty, and then on to Houston and Galveston. Then he madehis way back to Houston and returned home via the Trinity RivnY' Amongother donations received on this trip, Wilson recorded the gift of a sixthof a league of land on the Colorado River by "the Honourable M. Cart·wright";16 a gift of one league from "the Honourable General Bakel''';'7and a gift of one thousand acres of land on the San Jacinto River by Gen·~ I.. ral Davis. '8 By the time the first regular session of the College ~otunderwa)', the school had received a total of twenty thousand acres ofland. ,eThe College needed not only land but also hard cash. In order to raisemoney, Wilson returned to the United States. His travels took him as faras the state of Ohio, from which he had removed to come to Texas.2o Ashe went, Wilson delivered lectul'es on the Texas Republic, in which he ex-tolled the Republic's fertile soil and mild climate as well as "her politicaland moral economy."21 "The land along Texas rivers produces goodcrops of cotton, rice, sugar cane, corn and tobacco," Wilson declared. Figsand all sorts of melons do well. He describes the people of Texas, esti-mating the population of Republic to be 200,000 persons, of which120,00 are "white American." Wilson concludes his lecture with remarksconcerning the state of religion and education in the Republic. The twoMethodist colleges in Texas are Rutersville and Wesleyan. The latterschool, Wilson reports, had a faculty.of seven and a student body of onehundred fifty-five during its first session.Wilson's efforts as Financial Agent were well rewarded, Not only didhe secure gifts of land, such as those previously mentioned; he is also cred-ited with having raised twenty thousand dollars for the College.22III. ACADEMIC ORGANIZATION AND CURRICULUMWesleyan, like many other nieteenth century colleges, was not only aninstitution of higher education, but an elementary and secondary schoolas well. The institution was divided into Primary, Preparatory, Collegiatefmd Female Departments.23 In the Primary Department the beginningstudent studied reading, writing, geography and arithmetic. These stud-ies WHe continued in the Preparatory Department; other subjects wereedded, including algebra, bookkeeping, American history and ancient myth-ology. The course also included the study of Gn·ek and Latin, practice inEnglish composition and the delivery of declamations. "A thorough train-ing in elementary and introductory studies" was a perequisite for admis-sion to the Collegiate Department.uThe student in the Collegiate Department continued his study of Greek,Latin and mathematics, progressing in this latter subject through differ-ential and integral calculus. Three new fields of study appeared in thecollegiate curriculum, namely, natural science, English literature and theJ44 EUBt Texas Historical Journal"intellectual and moral sciences." that is to say, philosophy and religion.2~Contrary to what one might expect in a denominational college, the Biblewas not studied extensively. The Greek New Testament was one of severaltexts used in the collegiate classes in the Greek language; this is the onlyreference to the fonnal study of the Scriptures in the College. The stu_dent was introduced to several branches of science; he was expected tostudy ,~xt in botany, chemistry, geology, mineralogy, and anatomy. Nolaboratory work in these subjects was offered. The visiting committeeeppointed by the Conference of 1847 lamented the fact that the College hadno "apparatus" which might be used to illustrate the lectures in science; ithoped to purchase this equipment soon.28 The study of English literature ~included a considerable amount of work in history. In the 1840's the studyof history ill college was unusual; Wesleyan College in this regard wassomewhat in advance of its time.21EXAMINATIONS AND COMMENCEMENTAt the close of the school year, each student enrolled in the Collegewas examined orally by his teachers, in the presence of a committee ap-pointed by the Methodist Conference. The report of the visiting committeefor 1847 presents many interesting details of the examination procedure.The examinations were spread out over the better part of a week. Onthe first two days, July 26 and 27, the girls of the Female Departmentwere examined. Each of the thirty-five girls was individually questionedhy her teachers, Reverend and Mrs. R. W. Kennon. The committee reportsthat the class in chemistry was especially notable. The examination ofthe fifty boys and young men enrolled in the College began in the chapelon the 28th and continued through the 29th. First "the junior classes," aphrase which apparently refers to the Preparatory Department, were ques-tioned both by their teachers, R. M. Blades and Warren Coles, and by"other gentlemen present."28 "The higher classes," or the Collegiate De-partment, were then examined in history, mathematics, philosophy and thelanguages, by the President of the College, the Reverend F. H. Blades,p.nd the Professor of Mathematics, the Reverend W. N. Hannon. Thecommittee reports, "We were delighted with the examination of theclass in geometry, also with the class in natural philosophy."3o The pro-gram for the fifth and last day of the examination week, Fiday, July 30,mcluded the delivery of declamations and of Qriginal speeches by students,an addess on education by "Mr. Frazier of Marshall, Texas" and anotherby professor Hannan.~1Wesleyan College granted only two degrees during its short existence.Both of these degrees were awarded in February, 1846. The recipientswere J. S. Dixon and F. B. Sexton. In later life Dixon entered the medicalprofession.32 Sexton read law in the office of J. P. Henderson and O. M.Roberts, and was admitted to the bar in 1848. He represented Texas inthe Confederate Congress and later became prominent in Masonic activitiesin the state,33..East TezaiJ Historical JOl/rnal 145V. RELIGIOX AND MORALITYWesleyan College was founded not only in order to provide instructionin academic subjects but also to encourage morality. This intention isclearly stated in the report of the Committee on Education to the 1847l;ession of the Methodist Conference.Education, without moral instruction, is a misnomer. To educatethe head without a refinement of the moral feelings; to instructthe mind and leave the heart untrained, in the great morals ofchristianity, would be to ann an enemy, and render him efficientin the execution of crime. The obligations of the church, there-fore, on the subject of education are easily deduced.~·Formal instruction in ethics was a palt of the College cUlTiculum, butthis was not the only means employed to direct the students in the waythey should go. The members of the faculty were expected to keep a closewatch over the young people committed to their care; the College visitorsassured the parents of prospective students "that the morals of the stu-dents are strictly guarded, and are safe here."3S The citizens of San Au-gustine were felt to be the sort of persons who would set a good examplefor the young to follow. One committee which visited the College declaredenthusiastically, "We think that there is no place in Texas that excelsthis town, either in religion or morals."36Both the faculty and the students of the College participated in the re-ligious revivals and camp meetings held in the vicinity. Evidently theministers on the College faculty helped to lead these services. "It wastruly an interesting sight," observes H. H. Kelsey in 1847, "to see thetell.chers who had been engaged during the day in the school room, in-l;tructing their pupils in the principles of science, engaged at night in thealtar, 'pointing them to the blood of the Lamb that taketh away the sinsof the world.' "37True to the spirit of John Wesley, the College authorities tried to dis-tinguish between the basic principles of evangelical Chistianity and the~ particular doctrines of Methodism. They encouraged the students to ac-cept the former and disclaimed any attempts to impose the latter. Therepresentatives of the Conference declared roundly "that no sectarian in-fluence is exerted, in any denominational point ()f view, in this institution.The teachers labor to raise the standard and promote good morals, and per-,made their pupils to be Christians, but not Methodists exclusively."s8 Thispolicy was characteristic of southern Methodist colleges during the 1840's.~G..IV. CONCLUSIONIn 1847, both of the colleges located in San Augustine, Wesleyan Col-lege and San Augustine University, were closed; each of them had lost thefinancial support needed to maintain its operations.tO The citizens of SanAuugstine hoped that one institution might succeed where two had failed.The legislature was asked to charter a new school, to be called the "Uni-versity of East Texas"; the charter was approved on March 8, 1848.41The trustees of Wesleyan College, over the protests of the Methodist Con-146 East Tezas Histo·/"ical Journal"ference, transferred the property of the College to the new school.<2 ThusWesleyan College disappeared as a separate entity. Even its building dis-appeared in September, 1870, when it burned to the ground under mys-terious circumstances.<3FOOTNOTES'The Texas schools under Methodist auspices which antedate WesleyanCollege are Rutersville College, located near La Grange, and McKenzieCollege (Institute), in Clarksville (John H. McLean, "Our Early Schools,"Texas Meth~diBt Historical Qwwtef'ly, II (July, 1910], 63-64). In 1844 "the northern and BOuthern sections of the Methodist Episcopal Church sep-arated. Wesleyan College then passed under the jUlisdiction of the Meth-odist Episcopal Church, South.2"Daniel Poe of the Eastern Texas Conference, 1833-1844," Texas Meth.odist Historical Quarterly, II (July, 1910), 75.3San Augustine, Texas, Red Lander, August 5, 1843; George L. Crocket,Two Centuries in East Texas; A History of San Augustine County andSUf'Tounding Territory from 1689 to the Present Time (Dallas: SouthwestPress, 1932), 307.'George L. Crocket, History of Red Land Lodge #3, Cl'ocket Collection,East Texas Historical Collection, Stephen F. Austin State College Library.5William R. Hogan, The Texas Republic: A Social and Economic History(Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1946), 152; Handbook of Texas(2 vols.; Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 1952), I, 45, 939.6San Augustine Red Lander, July 13, 1843. Plans for the buildingwere modified in the course of construction, and the completed structureconsisted of three stolies instead of two (Lecture on Texas, Francis Wil_son papers, Crocket Collection, East Texas Historical Collection, StephenF. Austin State College Library). A color sketch of the building is to befound in the Crocket Collection.'Advertisement of the Committee of Direction, San Augustine RedLander, December 2, 1843.8Macum Phelan, A History of Early Methodism in Tezas, 1817-18GiJ(Nashville: Cokesbury Press, 1924),220, quoting the Annual Report of theBoard of Missions. In May, 1844 the Texas Conference was divided; thatportion of Texas which lay east of the Trinity River was assigned to thenewly established East Texas Conference (Phelan, 231). After this divi-sion Wesleyan College passed under the patronage of the East TexasConference.i"Ordained Methodist Ministers Who Participated in an EducationalMinistry," Weslellan Quarterlll Review, I (November, 1964), 209. Janesresigned in 1846; Foster H. Blades succeeded him as President of the Col-lege..."East TeX'ul< Hi<Jtorical }QunlullllH. P. N. Gammel, ed., Lau'li of Texas, 18t~-97 (15 vols.; Austin:Gammel Book Company, 1898), II, 934.lIHandbook of Texas, I. 78, 220, 795; II, 85.12"Daniel Poe," 77.I:IAutobiography, Francis Wilson papers, Cl'Ocket Collection, East TexasHistorical CoIlection, Stephen F. Austin State College Library,HMinuus of the A71.71.ual Conferences of the Methodist Episcopal Church.South, fOf' the Year 1867 (Nashville: Southern Methodist Publishing House,1870), 186. Wilson died on October 8, 1867.16Report to the Board of Trustees, Francis Wilson papers, Crocket.Col-Jection.I·Perhaps this is Matthew Cartwright (Handbook of Texas, I, 304).uPerhaps the general to whom Wilson refers is Moseley Baker (Hand-book of Te'J:a8, I, 100).18This donor may be James Davis (Handbook of Te'J:as. 1,470).19Lecture on Texas, Francis Wilson papers, Crocket Collection.2°Crocket, Two Centuries, 307.2lLecture on Texas, Francis Wilson papers, Crocket Collection.22McLean, "Schools," 64.23San Augustine Red Land.er, December 2. 1848.2~lbid.25Advertisement, NashviIle, Tennessee, Southwestern Christian Advo-wte, April 10, 1846.26Nashville, Tennessee, Nai;ht'ille Christian Advocate, September 3,1847, 2.27Clal'ence Moore Dannelly, "The Development of Collegiate Educationin the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1846-1902," Unpublished Ph.D.dissertation, Yale University, 1933, 39.28San Augustine Red Lander, December 2, 1843.•9Report of Committee to Visit Wesleyan CoIlege, Nashville ChristianAdvocau.. September 3, 1847, 2."'Ibid."'/Md."B. W. Martin, "Hi'Story of Another East Texas College Presented,"InterscMlastic Leaguer, VII (Febm3ry 15, 1924), 6.33Handbook of Texal1, II, 594.East Texas Historical Journal14834Nashville Christian Advocate, May 14, 1847, l.3~/bid.38Nashville Christian Advocate, September 3, 1847, 3.:l7/bid.3sItalics in original (Ibid.).39Dannelly, "Development," 24-25.4°Crocket, Two Centuries, 308-9."Gammel, Laws of Tezas, III, 365.42Crocket, Two Centuries, 309.43George L. Crocket, notes on the history of Methodism in San Augus-tine, Crocket Collection, East Texas Historical Collection, Stephen F.Austin State College Library...•

Wesleyan College of San Augustine

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Wesleyan College of San Augustine

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